Baby Sensory

Baby Sensory classes at Belmont Tower run every Wednesday inside a National Trust building on Belmont Church Road in East Belfast — a beautiful setting for a baby class. Three sessions span the day: 10:00–11:00, 11:30–12:30, and 13:00–14:00.

Each session is 60 minutes and follows a consistent structure: 20 minutes of guided activities, then 20 minutes of baby-led free play in the exploratory play area, then a final 20 minutes of guided activities. That rhythm reflects the way babies naturally move between engagement and rest. Within the guided sections, activities cover creative play, tummy time, movement, visual stimulation, textures, scents, sensory signing, and songs and rhymes. The programme includes original music composed by Dr Lin Day — pieces such as 'Say Hello to the Sun' and 'Wave Goodbye' — alongside traditional rhymes, all chosen to support early speech and language development. Sensory signing runs through each class to give babies a way to communicate from birth. Instruments are checked against decibel limits so they are not too loud; the sensory display is arranged at the distance babies can actually see clearly. Every session ends with the sounds of the womb to settle babies before you leave.

The Belmont Tower classes are led by Sharon Bayliss, who has been running Baby Sensory for 15 years and has worked with families for 26. She holds Solihull, Five to Thrive, and Incredible Years Baby training. Ashlea also helps run sessions and is known for explaining to parents why the activities are done — what each one is actually for — which parents have found genuinely valuable. Newborns from birth to three months can join the Hello Baby strand, which covers observation of behavioural cues, colic and comfort, and gentle touch and massage techniques. From four months they move into the main Baby Sensory programme. The franchise covers South and East Belfast, North Down, and Ards, with further venues in Ballyhackamore, Rossetta, and Bangor.